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USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), a ''Constitution'' class starship launched in 2245, was the most the most celebrated Starfleet vessel of the 23rd Century. The first Federation starship to bear the name, the Enterprise was the premiere exploratory starship of her time, notable for a string of successful first contacts, military engagements, and several incidents of time-travel. Under five captains and through several upgrades (including a comprehensive refit) in her forty years of service, she acquired her most lasting fame from the five-year mission of 2265-2270 under the command of James T. Kirk. The Constitution-class heavy cruiser was destroyed in 2285. History .]] The name "Enterprise" (a human word for a venture of scope, risk and promise) had a long lineage on Earth, from the age of sail through the warp 5 engine. l'Entreprenant (enterprising) was a French sailing ship in 1671. A subsequent ship, l'Enterprise was captured by the British Royal Navy in 1705 and renamed [[HMS Enterprize|HMS Enterprize]], a name used in British and American navies through the 21st century. According to the American navy's historical organization, "Enterprise" in its ships' names meant "Boldness, energy and inventiveness in practical affairs," in keeping with a tradition of naming vessels for positive personal traits in that organization (other similarly named ships included USS Patriot and USS Active). A prototype for NASA's space shuttle fleet was named [[Enterprise (OV-101)|Space Shuttle Enterprise]] ( OV-101) by popular demand in 1976. The first Earth Starfleet vessel commissioned ''Enterprise'' (NX-01) launched in 2151 under Captain Jonathan Archer, initiating the era of humanity's deep space exploration. Launch of the USS Enterprise.]] In the early 23rd century, twelve heavy cruiser-type starships, the ''Constitution''-class, were commissioned by UESPA for service in Starfleet. The vessel registered NCC-1701 was constructed at the San Francisco Fleet Yards in Earth orbit and launched in 2245, christened the Enterprise. Captain Robert April oversaw construction of her components and commanded her during trial runs and early missions. (TAS: "The Counter-Clock Incident") Pike Era Captain Christopher Pike commanded the Enterprise over two five-year missions, including voyages to the Rigel, Vega and Talos systems, prior to his promotion to Fleet Captain in 2263. Spock, a latter Enterprise Captain, joined the crew in the early 2260s, serving under Pike for 11 years. Kirk's five-year mission .]] The Enterprise achieved her greatest renown under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, though his five-year mission had a less-than-auspicious start. An extra-galactic probe attempt on stardate 1312, led to Enterprise 's collision with the previously-undocumented Galactic Barrier, critically damaging ship's systems. Effects of the barrier's unusual energy on humans led to the death of three officers; Gary Mitchell, Lee Kelso, and Elizabeth Dehner. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before") In 2266, on stardate 1709, the Enterprise was instrumental in preventing a war between the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire. After a Romulan bird-of-prey crossed the Romulan Neutral Zone and destroyed several Earth Outpost Stations, Enterprise disabled the Romulan ship, leading to it's self-destruction. The evidence of Starfleet's vigilance stunted Romulan aggression for some time. (TOS: "Balance of Terror") .]] On stardate 3417, the entire crew of the Enterprise apart from Captain Kirk mutinied and abandoned the ship, under the influence of alien spores at Omicron Ceti III. Overcoming the spore's effects, Kirk roused Spock first. Together, the two rigged a subsonic transmitter negating the spores effects, allowing the crew to return to duty. (TOS: "This Side of Paradise") Kirk ordered the Enterprise across the Romulan Neutral Zone on stardate 5027.3. Three Romulan starships detained the Enterprise, and Kirk and Spock met the Romulan commander aboard her ship, who revealed the great value Romulans placed on the captured Enterprise. His faked death allowed Kirk to infiltrate the Romulan ship and steal a Cloaking device. As the first Federation starship to successfully cloak, Enterprise escaped to home space. (TOS: "The Enterprise Incident") On two occasions, with the aid of alien technology, the Enterprise passed the Galactic Barrier, briefly departing the Milky Way Galaxy and returning. (TOS: "By Any Other Name", "Is There in Truth No Beauty?") As a result of Captain Kirk's first tour, the Enterprise had become a recognized symbol of Starfleet and the Federation. Starfleet's array of unique assignment patches were abandoned in favor of the Enterprise delta symbol. Refit Returning to Earth in 2270, Enterprise was now 25 years old, and new technologies were available. System upgrades after long deployments weren't unusual, but her preceding five years of service included a unprecedented number of warp-speed records, hull-pounding battles, and frame-stressing maneuvers. Starfleet also noticed their most significant rival of the period, the Imperial Klingon Fleet, was phasing out their D-7 battlecruisers for the new ''K't'inga''-class on their front lines. .]] Enterprise 's overhaul of the early 2270s became a keel-up redesign and reconstruction project. The very heart of the ship was replaced with a radically different vertical warp core assembly, linked to new warp engine nacelles atop swept-back pylons, as well as the impulse drive system. The new drive system allowed for an expanded cargo hold in the secondary hull, linked to the shuttlebay deck. Weapons system upgrades included nine dual-phaser banks with power channeled from the warp engines, and double photon torpedo/probe launcher atop the secondary hull. Multiple egress points now included port and starboard spacedock hatches, a ventral EVA bay, and a docking port aft of the bridge, on the primary hull; four more docking ports paired on either side of the launcher and secondary hulls. A new bridge module reflected the modern computer systems, operating interfaces, and ergonomics that ran throughout the ship. Following his promotion to Rear Admiral as Chief of Starfleet Operations, Kirk's hand-picked successor, Captain Willard Decker oversaw the refit, assisted by Commander Montgomery Scott, her Chief engineer. Enterprise was pressed into service, weeks ahead of schedule, in response to the V'Ger crisis, once again under Kirk's command. Decker was temporarily demoted to commander and served as science officer because of his familiarity with the new design. Incomplete systems had to be serviced during her "shakedown cruise" en route to V'Ger, including the first test of the new warp engines. A matter/antimatter intermix malfunction led to the Enterprise 's entry into an unstable wormhole, prior to a rendezvous with Commander Spock, who help correct the problem. Once the V'Ger threat was averted, Enterprise remained under Admiral Kirk's command until his brief retirement in 2281. The new designs and components tested and proven aboard Enterprise influenced a generation of starship design, from the ''Miranda''-class to the ''Constellation''-class, as well as other retro-fitted ''Constitutions''. Final Days By 2285, Enterprise ceased her high-tempo operations. Now under command of Captain Spock, she was assigned to Starfleet Academy as a training vessel. During a cadet training cruise, Khan Noonien Singh escaped from his exile on Ceti Alpha V and hijacked the [[USS Reliant|USS Reliant]], leading to his theft of the Genesis Device from the Regula I space station. The Enterprise was tasked to investigate, and Spock deferred his command to Admiral Kirk. The subsequent engagements with Reliant left the Enterprise badly damaged with cadet and crew deaths, including Captain Spock. .]] Upon her return to Earth, Starfleet Commander_in_Chief Admiral Harry Morrow announced that the starship, now forty years old, would be decommissioned. Denied his wish to return to the Mutara sector, Kirk conspired with his senior officers and stole Enterprise from Earth Spacedock in order to recover Spock's body from the Genesis Planet; to bring it, and his "katra", to Vulcan. At her destination, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey's attack left the Enterprise disabled. Setting a self-destruct sequence, Kirk and his crew abandoned the ship for the surface. Charges in place throughout Enterprise's hull exploded, killing the Klingon boarding party. The hulk fell from orbit and immolated in the planet's atmosphere. Crew * List of USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel Commanding officers *Captain Robert April (2245) *Captain Christopher Pike (2250s through early 2260s) *Captain James T. Kirk (2265-2270), as Rear Admiral from 2273-2281) *Captain Willard Decker (2270-2273 during refit) *Captain Spock (through 2285) Command crew under Kirk's Enterprise command *Commanding officer **Captain James T. Kirk *executive and science officer **Lieutenant Commander/Commander Spock *Chief engineer **Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott *Chief medical officer **Doctor Mark Piper (2265) **Doctor Leonard H. McCoy (2266-70) *Helmsman **Lieutenant Lee Kelso (2265) **Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu (2266-70) *Communications officer **Lieutenant Alden (2265) **Lieutenant Uhura (2266-70) *Navigator **Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell (2265) **Ensign Pavel Chekov (2267-69) **Lieutenant Arex (2269-70) **Lieutenant Ilia (2272) *Security chief **Lieutenant Commander Giotto (2267) Appearances *''Star Trek: The Original Series'' *''Star Trek: The Animated Series'' *''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' *''Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' *''Star Trek III: The Search for Spock'' *DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations" *ENT: "These Are the Voyages..." (Closing montage) Enterprise (NCC-1701) de:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) fr:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) nl:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)